Interlocking sheet piling



C. 8'. BOARDMAN. INTERLOCKING SHEET FILING. APPLICATION FILED MAYIQ, 1920.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET1- I C. 8. BOARDMAN. INTERLOCKING SHEET FILING.

APPLICATfON FILED MAY 19, 1920.

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UNITED v STATES PATENT] oFFICE- CHARLES SLAUSON BOARDMAN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LA-GKA- WANNA STEEL COMPANY, OF LACKAWANNA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

inrnnnooxnve snnn'r PILING.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed May 19, 1920. Serial No. 382,552.

sides or edges thereof and adapted when the piles are driven to interlock. with co-acting flanges of an adjacent section and thereby,

form a continuous wall of piling. Such piling has been very successful and is extensively used, particularly in the construction of coifer dams, open caissons, retaining walls for foundations, bulkheads, etc. where it is essential that water, earth and other material shall be retained thereby.

As has been demonstrated by commercial use, sheet piling to be fully successful, must successfully meet the requirements of various installations and in particular, must be adapted for subaqueous installations, such as coifer dams-and retaining walls employed in the building of bridge piers, dock walls, etc., where work must, be done below water level. The piling sections of the presentinventiou are designed particularly with a view to obtaining the maximum "degree of water tightness in the interlocks and the improved features thereof are desirably embodied in the type of interlocking joint known as the double interlock type, characterized by having each edge of the web provided with double interlocking members, comprising a hook and a guard flange which produce a particularly strong interlock and one which has proven very successful owing to the water,

tigh't qualities of the interlock so formed.

The piling of the present invention is preferably embodied as a modification of the so-called Lackawanna piling of the double interlocked type described and consists in a suitable modification thereof whereby supplemental grooves are provided in the interlocks which grooves are desirably formed in the outer surface of the hook flange and di-' rected toward the wall or surface of the coacting flange of an adjacent interlock so as to provide a supplemental sealing pocket the flanges of the interlock thereby greatly to contribute to the water tight qualities thereof. By this means, there are formed supplemental pockets or grooves within the main sockets or pockets within which slit or other material will readily accumulate to seal said pockets and the additional points of contact between the engaging flanges, acting under the pressures exerted on the pile sections, will provide a plurality of sealing points thereby insuring the effectiveness thereof in preventing leakage through the joints.

A further important feature of the present invention resides in the improved form and'arrangement of the interlocking flanges whereby not only are the aforesaid water tight features incorporated therewith, but in addition, the strength of the interlock formed thereby is materially increased and the pull on the piling elements, tending to separate the interlocks, is resisted by the hooks which are reinforced in the line of longitudinal pull thereon and further have their opposed surfaces or contact faces ap- Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

. and additional Points of contact between. v

proximately perpendicular to the neutral axis of the wall.

Desirable embodiments of the present 111- vcntion are illustrated in the drawlngs herewith, wherein the'aforesa-id and other valuable features of the invention are illustrated and wherein the reference characters of this description are applied to the correspondlng parts in the several views. Therein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pillng wall formed of the improved sections of my 111- vention. r

Fig. 2 i a perspective view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of an approved mstallation thereof illustrating the sealing action of the improved interlocks under the lateral pressures on the pile sections. I

Fig. 4 is a plan view-of a desirable modification embodying important features of my present invention;

.Fig. 5 is a perspective view thereof, and

Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating a further modification embodying the features 'of myv invention.

ln the preferred embodiment of the 1nventionhere illustrated, each piling section The book and guard flanges 2 and 3, which may be termed respectively the thumb and the finger flanges, are relatively arranged so as to form, or to enclose, a groove or pocket 5 which is sufficiently large to receive freely therein the hook or enlargements 6 of the thumb flange on the adjacent pile. The slight freedom so afforded, permits free driving, and the enlarged pockets provide depositories for the reception of displaced material and permit of suflicient, but not excessive, longitudinal and lateral movement of the hook within the groove so as to allow for a limited angular adjustment of the sections.

As shown, the grooves, or pockets have a longitudinal mouth or opening 7 formed between the opposed surfaces of the hook 6 and the ends ofrthe finger flangeswhich are somewhat less in width than the greatest internal width of .the pocket and of lesser width than thatof the hook portion of the thumb flange received within the pockets .whereby the interlock is formed. By this arrangement it results that the piles can only be interlocked vertically and also that they can only be separated longitudinally 'of-the wall by a strain of sufficient strengt to distort both flanges oneach of the two adjacent piles forming the interlock in question.

In accordance with'the present invention, the enlargement or hook portion 6 of the thumbflange is provided with an inwardly directed shoulder or contact surface 8 adapted to on age with the corresponding surface of the t umb flange of an adjacent section so as to resist longitudinal separation. The hook enlargement 6 is further provided with radially extending shoulder extensions 9 and 10, the outwardly directed or engagingsurfaces of which are arranged on a radius approximately corresponding to the curvature of the inner surfaces of the guard flange 3, so that both of said extensions are adapted to bear upon said inner curved surfaces of the ard flanges at the same time. In-

termedlate of the extensions 9 and 10, the

enlargement 6 is formed of concave curvature thereby, when considered in conjunction with the inner curved surfaces of the guard flange of an adjacent section, forming a supplemental pocket or groove 11 within the main pocket orgroove 5. The surface of the enlargement 6 intermediate of the extension 9 and the hook proper is desirably of concave curvature at 12 thereby to reduce the weight of the metal and correspondingly to enlarge the inner end of the pocket 5 to afford sufficient space to receive dis laced material during driving.

n the arrangement as shown, it will be noted that the radial extensions 9 and 10 of each of the hooked enlargements of the interlocked sections. are arranged in corelation son of the main pockets 55 supp I is obtained by reason of whereby they will simultaneously engage with the curved inner surfaces of the guard flanges cO-acting therewith, whereby, when the interlocks are tightened up under lateral pressures, there will be at leastfour points of line contact within. the interlock tightness which is further insured by the presence of the supplemental pockets 11-11 which provide additional .de ositories for silt and mud or for other filler material thereby further contributing to the means afforded for sealing of the interlock. The means thus operating to insure water tightness comprises at leastfour or five points of line contact between the-flanges of the interlocks plus the sealing effect occurrin by rea- Iemented by the smaller pockets or grooves 11 whereby maximum provision is made therefor and effective sealing of the interlocks attained. A further. important advantage resulting from my improved form of piling interlock the presence and relative positlon of the shoulder extension 9 with reference tothe hook proper of the thumb flange. As will be readily apprecited, tensional stresses on thepiling elements, that is, stresses substantially longitudinal of theweb and wall produce a tendency to bend or straighten out the hook flanges in addition to subjecting said flanges to shearing stremes. In resisting such stresses the shoulder extensions. 9 of the im; proved interlock afford reinforcing enlargements thereagainst and further, by reason of the engageglvent of the outer surfaces of said extensions; ith the guard flanges of adjacent elements said flanges have a bearing thereon so as to resist under compression deformation of the hooks. In consequence the interlockso formed is of exceptional strength. As illustrated in Figure 3 wherein there is shown the use of a piling wall reinforced by waling timbers, it will be noted that by the, arrangement of the similar flanges of each interlock on the same side of the web of each section, that as a. result, the alternate piling sections only. will bear againstthe timber. This arrangement, whereby the alternate sections only engage the waling timber by means of their guard flanges is instrumental in obtaining an effective water tight seal in the interlock.- In so functioning the intermediate piling elements or sections having their hook flanges directed toward the supporting timber are acted upon by the external pressures and said sections are shiftable as awhole relatively to the supported sections and timbers whereby, un.

modifiedin form and arrangement without departing from the scope thereof as defined 1n the appended claims. For instance, in

Figs. 4 and 5 there is showna simple and desirable modification of the well known Lackawanna type of piling wherein the thumb or hook flange 6 is modified to have embodied therein thesupplemental longitudinal channel or groove 14 arranged whereby its open side will be opposed to and closed by a portion of the adjacent section interlocked therewith, thereby to provide the described supplemental pocket in the interlock. The improved form of Figs. 4 and5 is particularly desirable in that the section may be rolled b a simple modification to the rolls for pro ucing the standard sections as now rolled. As will be recognized in this form the shoulders 9 and 10 result from the formation of the groove 14 and provide the plural lines of contact in the interlock for contributing to the water tightness as hereinbefore described.

In Fig. 6 a further modification isillus trated which'co-nforms closely to the form-of Fig. 1 but wherein the shoulder 10' at its inner side is of convex curvature and a continuation-of the normal curvature of the inner portion of the thumb flange.

Other and important features of my improved piling sections as disclosed reside in the arrangement and proportioning of the metal of the interlocks whereby the latter under longitudinal stress will offer resistance to separation of the interlock nearly equal to the tensional strength of the web portion of the section; the arrangement and distribution of the metal of the interlocks whereby the opposing surfaces of the hook enlargements and the guard flanges will engage simultaneously so as to produce a plu rality of'points of contact both for resistance to' separation and to secure greater water tight values in the interlock and,

\ moreover, in the proportioning of the interlooking flanges with reference to the grooves thereof whereby angular adjustment of the section will be permitted such as illustrated at the righthand portion of Figure 1 from which it .will be noted that the interlocks permit of angular adjustment of the adjamum so that there is no undue friction.' A further important feature present in the improved interlock disclosed, consists in the relative proportioning of the grooves or sockets with reference to the interlocking ficient space to receive the material displaced in drivin This application embodies the substance of and is acontinuation in' pant of my copending application, Serial No. 284,630, filed March 24, 1919. i

'Having now particularly described and flanges whereby the sockets provide suf ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. Steel sheet piling composed of interlock- 1ng sect1ons, each section comprising a web having interlocking flanges along each vertical marginal side edge thereof adapted for interlocking engagement with complemental flanges'of an adjacent section and at least one of said interlocking flanges at each marglnal edge being formed with a plurality of shoulder extensions adapted to engage a laterally opposed surface of an adjacent section substantially as described.

2. Steel sheet piling composed of interlockmg sect1ons, each section comprising a web having interlocking flanges along each vertical marginal side edge thereof adapted for lnterlocking en agement with complemental flanges of an a jacent section, the flanges of at least one edge of said section being formed to fprovide an enlarged pocket to re ceive the ange of anadjacent section and to provide a space for displaced material and atleast one of the interlocking flanges at each marginal edge being formed with laterally directed shoulder extensions adapted simultaneously to engage the surface of a coacting flange of an adjacent section and provldlnga supplemental pocket or groove between said shoulder extensions, substantially as described.

3. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web and having interlocking flan es along each vertical marginal side edge t ereof to engage with complemental flanges of an adw jacent section to form an interlocking connection therewith, one of said flanges at each marginal edge having a surface 'arranged to oppose lateral displacement of the interlocked flange of an adjacent section and the coacting flange of said interlock being provided with a plurality of shoulder extensions adapted to engage with laterally opposed surface of the first named flange of an adjacent section, substantially as described.

4. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web and having interlocks along each marginal side edge thereof adapted to interfaces composed flange of an adjacent section, and said lock with complemental interlocks of an adjacent section, said interlocks being each of coactin hook and guard flanges adapted to inc ose a socket formed thereby to receive a hook flange of an adjacent section and at least one flange of each interlock being rovided with plurality of laterally directed shoulder extensions adapted simultaneously to enga e an opposed sur-- face of a flange of an a jacent section interlocking therewith substantially as described.

5. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web havin interlocks along each mar nal side edge t ereofand adapted for inter ocking engagement with an adjacent section,

each of said interlocks being formed of hook and guard flanges formed to inclose between them a socket or enlarged groove adapted to receive therein a hook flange of an adjacent section, and said hook flanges having a pluralit of laterally directed shoulder extensions irected toward the inner surface of the guard flange of an adjacent section to coact therewith in forming a supplemental pocket or groove between said extensions substantially as described.

6..Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section-comprising a web and having interlocks formed at the marginal side edges thereof, said interlocks consisting of hook and guard flanges formed to inclose therebetween an enlarged groove or socket adapted to receive therein the hook flange of an adjacent section, and said guard flanges haviiig their-inwardly directed surof curved contour and the curvature thereof being such that when the sections are interlocked the curvature of said surfaces of the guard flanges of adjacent sections approximates an are from a mutual axis and said hook flanges being each provided with shoulderextensions substantially radial to said mutual axis and at their outer edge surfaces adapted to engage the inwardly directed curved surfaces of said guard flanges substantially as described.

7 Steel sheet piling composed of intermarginal side edges thereof, said interlocks.

cons sting of hook and guard flanges formed to lnclose therebetween an enlarged groove or socket adapted to-receive therein the hoold:

flanges having their inwardly directed surfaces of curved contour and the curvature thereof being such that when the sections are interlocked the curvature of said surfaces of the guard flanges of adj aoent sections approxlmates an are from a mutual axis and said hook flanges being each provided with shoulder extensions substantially radial to said mutual axis and at their outer edge 'tudinal separation and sho surfaces adapted to engage the inwardly directed curved surfaces of said guard flanges and said hook flanges being formed with ooves intermediate of said shoulder extenslons adapted in connection with the coacting flange of an adjacent section to form supplemental sealing pockets, substantially as described.

8. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web and havin interlocks formed at the marginal side e es thereof, said interlocks consisting of hook and guard flanges formed to inclosetherebetween an enlarged groove or socket adapted to, receive therein the hook flange of an adjacent section, and said guard flanges having their inwardly directed surfaces of curved contour and the curvature thereof being such that when the sections are interlocked the curvature of said surfaces of the guard flanges of adjacent sections approximates an arc from a mutual axis and said hook flanges being each provided with shoulder extensions substantially radial to said mutual axis'and at their outer ed e surfaces adapted to engage the inwanfly directed curved surfaces of said guard flan s and said. hook flanges being formed wlth grooves intermediate of said shoulder extensions adapted'in connection with the coact ing flange of an adjacent section to form supplemental sealing pockets and having the surface intermediate the shoulder extensions and the hook portion of concaved curvature substantially as described.

9. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web having interlocks along the marginal edges thereof to en age with complemental interlocks of an a jacent section, each of said interlocks being formed of coacting hook and guard flan s adapted to provide a socket or groove ti ierebetween to receive the hook flange of an' ad'acent section, said hook flanges being provi ed with hook portions providing shoulders o osing longiulgiarf extensions formed on saidhook flanges outwardly ex tending from said hook portions and adapted to engage a surface of the adjacent sectlon to reenforce said hook portions against desaid hook portion and adapted to engage under longitudinal stress substantially as described.

11. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web havin interlocks formed along the marginal slde edges thereof and adapted to engage with complemental interlocks of an adjacent section, at least one of said interlocks being formed of a pair of flanges, one of said flanges being provided with a hook portionproviding a shoulder having a surface approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the section to be engaged by the interlock of an adjacent section and opposing a longitudinal separation thereof said hook portion having an outwardly directed shoulder extension associ= ated therewith and adapted to engage with a surface of the adjacent section to reenforce said hook portion against deflection under lon itudinal stress substantially as descri ed.

12. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web having a locking member and a guard flange at each edge thereof adapted to engage similar members of like form on the adjoining sections, the locking members of adjoining sections being free to turn upon each other between said guard flanges to permit of angular arrangement of the sections and the looking members being formed with hook portions having outwardly directed shoulder extensions associated therewith and adapted to engage with the guard flanges of an adjacent section thereby toreenforce the hook portions against deflection under longitudinal stresses substantially as described;

'13. Metal sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web having a locking member anda guard flange at each edge thereof adapted to enga e similar members of like form 'on an adjoining section the locking members of adjoining sections bein free to turn about each other between sa1d guard flanges to permit of angular arrangement'of the sections and said locking membersrbeing provided with opposed hooked portions arranged approximately atright angles to the longitudinal axis of the web and outwardly directed shoulder extensions associated with the hooked portions and adapted to engage an opposed surface of a guard flange of an adjacent section and one of said shoulder extensions being arranged substantially in the line of longitudinal stress upon said hook portion whereby the latter is reenforced a ainst deflection substantially as describe 14. Metal sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web having a locking and a guard flange at each edge thereof adapted to engage similar members on the adjoining section, said tially concentric with each other and with the contact surface on said hook portions whereby the hooks are free to turn upon each other to permit of angular arrangement of thesections substantially as de scribed.

15. Metal sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web having a locking and a guard flange at each edge thereof adapted to engage similar members on the adjoining section, said locking flange being formed with a hooked portion and outwardly directed shoulder extensions associated therewith one of said shoulder extensions being disposed in the line of longitudinal pull on said hook portion and adapted to engage the guardflange of an adjacent section to reenforce said hook portion from deflection under longitudinal stress, the inner surface of I said guard flanges and the 'outer surfaces of said shoulder extensions being arranged substantially concentric with each other and with the contact surfaceon said hook portions whereby the hooks are free to turn-upon each other to permit of angular arrangement of the sections and said hook and guard flanges being arranged to form enlarged grooves so as to provide pockets for disposed material and said hook portions being formed with grooves intermediate of the shoulder extensions thereby to provide supplemental pockets substantially as described.

16. Metal sheet piling composed of intertensions being arranged substantially concentric with each other and with the contact surface on said hook portions whereby the hooks are free to turn upon each other to permit of angular arrangement of the sectlons and said hook and guard flanges being arranged to form enlarged grooves so as to provide pockets for disposed material and said hook portions being formed with grooves intermediate of the shoulder extensions thereby to provide supplemental pockets and each of said sections being formed with the hook flanges upon one side of the longitudinal axis of the web and the guard flanges to the opposite side thereof substantially as described.

17. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web and having interlocks along the vertical marginal side edges thereof adapted to interlock with the complemental interlocks of an adjacent section, said interlocks be ing each composed of coacting hook and guard flanges adapted to form a socket to receive a hook flange of an adjacent section and at least one flange of each interlock being provided with a plurality of outwardly directed shoulder extensions in opposed relation to a surface of a flange of an adjacent sectionv interlocking therewith, substantially as described.

18. 'Steel sheet piling of double interlocked type composed of interlocking sec tions having at least ,one flange of each interlock formed with a longitudinally extending groove having its open side opposed to and closed by a portion of the adjacent section interlocked therewith thereby to provide supplemental pockets in tthe interlock for improving the water-tight qualities thereof.

19. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web and having interlocks alongthe vertical marginal'side ed es thereof adapted to interlock 'with comp emental interlocks of an adjacent section said interlocks bein each composed of coacting hook and guard flanges adapted to form a socket to receive a hook flange of an adjacent section and the hook flange of each interlock being formed with a longitudinally extending groove having its open side opposed to and closed by a portion of the adjacent section interlocked therewith thereby to provide supplemental pockets in the interlock for improving the Water tight qualities thereof.

20. Steel sheet piling composed of interlocking sections, each section comprising a web having interlocks along the vertical marginal side edges thereof adapted to interlock with complemental interlocks of an adjacent section', said interlocks being each composed of co-acting hook and guard flanges adapted to form a socket to receive a hook flange of an adjacent section and the hook flange of each interlock being formed at its outer side with a longitudinally extending groove having its open side opposed to and closed by the guard flange of the adjacent section interlocked therewith thereby to provide supplemental pockets in the interlock for' improving the water tight qualities thereof. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES SLAUSON BOARDMAN, 

